Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

beresfordjd I am watching this and wondering why. I have never been a fan of Edwyn Collins - he is a typical pop star of his time. Talentless and simplistic music which appeal to the sort of people who do not like to think about their music. His lyrics are trite and awkward. He does not look particularly good and has zero charisma. How the hell anyone thought him worthy of a documentary like this escapes me totally. Of course it is a tragedy for anyone to suffer a catastrophic brain injury which Collins did but his importance in the music scene is far too much emphasised and the scene has not suffered one jot from his absence. This film is inept in almost every respect - it puts his medical event into no kind of context -we have no idea of how he was before the incident and the viewer becomes disinterested before the story even begins.

valleyjohn Most people of a certain age will know who Edwyn Collins is even if it's just because they know the 1994 song "I've never met a girl like you before" but not everyone will know his recent life story and a very sad one it is. in 2005, Collins said he felt unwell , two days later he suffered a major cerebral haemorrhage to his brain and his life completely changed . This documentary follows him and his wonderfully supportive partner Grace on part of the long hard road to recovery. Although the story is sad it's quite an uplifting documentary. It's obvious that due to the massive brain injury that Collins will never be the same as he was but that isn't stopping him doing what he loves best. Playing music. This does suffer from being a little bit too arty at times but nonetheless is still a film you should see.

Red_Identity The first twenty minutes are this really work in an atmospheric, lyrical, poetic sort of way. The same sort of way that Malick films work. Really ambitious and inspired for a documentary. And the whole documentary refuses to bow downy os sentimentality of misery and pain, and instead really highlights the beautiful moments. This film is definitely going to test many people's patience, but considering how bad some films get these days, nor expect for the audience, this is a very, very welcome little surprise and I hope many people are able to seek it out. It's a really grand testament with how it approaches its subject and the subject matter, and definitely recommend it.

MR MATTHEW REID I should probably start this review by disclosing that I've been a fan of Edwyn since he released his fantastic solo album "Hope and Despair" in 1989, and have followed his career closely since then.You probably know Edwyn from his song "a girl like you" which was a huge hit in 1995. Less of you will know that he had a stroke 10 years later, leaving him unable to walk, read or write. His speech was also severely affected, "yes", "no", "Grace Maxwell" ( Edwyns wife), and peculiarly, "the possibilities are endless" being the he only words he could say.The film chronicles the story of Edwyns recovery from those harrowing times up to the present day, but not in a standard documentary style, instead using abstract images and audio of Edwyn talking about his experience, creating an eerie atmosphere, perhaps trying to recreate the confusion felt by Edwyn after his stroke.The later part of the film is more straightforward, and not as "arty farty" as Edwyn put it! It shows the extraordinary relationship between Grace and Edwyn, Grace having fought so hard to help Edwyn in his recovery. The bond between the two would melt the hardest of hearts, and is the real star of the movie. It's a love story about them, and to life itself. Don't worry though, it's not a Mills and Boon novel, there is plenty of good humour and bickering between the pair.The filmmakers deserve credit for not going down the mawkish, misery memoir route, which would have been easy to do. Instead they let the the protagonists tell their own story, allowing Edwyn plenty of space to do so.The soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful, using music performed by Edwyn and two of his musical collaborators Carywn Ellis and Seb Lewsley.It's not often a music documentary can move one to tears, but this marvellous film manages it. I defy anyone to watch and not be moved by the remarkable recovery made by Edwyn, and I can't recommend the film highly enough.